Connecting conveyer device for handling fibrous material in process of manufacture



Aug. 18, 1931. as. SUMMERS ETAL 1,819,661

CONNECTING CONVEYER DEVICE FOR HANDLING FIBROUS MATERIAL IN PROCESS OFMANUFACTURE Filed May 29, 1929 Patented Aug. 18, 1931' IBERTRAND S.SUMMERS, O1? EVANSTON, ILLINOIS, AND HERBERT T. HEATH, OF

GARDENAS, CUBA.

connnc'rrne CONVEYER nnvrcn FOR HANDLING FIBBOUS MATERIAL IN rnocnss orMANUFACTURE Application filed May 29,

Our invention relates specifically to a device for receiving cordagefibers, such as manila and sisal, from a decorticator or cleaning deviceand placing it on a conveyer mechanism crossways of the conveyer, sothat it can be subsequently properly handled and treated as desired.

Decorticating and cleaning mechanism are manufactured on what is knownas the cross feed type; that is, the leaves or stems to be cleaned areplaced crossways of a chain or conveying mechanism which carries themthrough the cleaning drums or devices. hen emerging from the saidconveying devices,

the butt ends protrude a little a small distance on one side of thechain and are stiff enough to remain in horizontal position. The tip ortapering ends of the fibers, due to the action of the cleaningmechanism, emerge from said machine in substantially a verticalposition. For convenience in subsequent handling it is necessary thatthe said fiber lie in a horizontal plane capable of being delivered ontoa conveyer mechanism in this position.

Accordingly, the primary object of this invention is to provide aconveyer device adapted for use between a decorticator and a squeezer,for example, which device will funcac tion to receive fibers from thedecorticator in a vertical position and gradually move the fibers to acrosswise horizontal position to be delivered in this fashion to saidsqueezer.

An illustrative embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanyingsheet of drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a general side, elevational View of the device arrangedbetween the discharge end of a decorticator and the charging end of a0 asqueezer;

Figure 2 is a general plan View; and,

Figure 3 is a sectional view, on an enlarged scale, of one of thepulleys.

To accomplish the purposes of this invention, we provide a frame, on oneend of which is mounted a shaft 2 holding in horizontal planes numeroussuperposed, small pulleys or sheaves 3 running idly on the verticalshaft 2. On the other end of the frame is mounted a horizontal shaft 4on which are 1929. seen No. 366,858.

mounted spaced pulleys 5 running in vertical planes. On the front of theframe is mounted an angle 6, which supports a plurality of spaced,vertical stub shafts 7 on the ends of each of which is mounted an idlerpulley 8, the said vertical stub shafts being capable of turning ontheir axes to take the direction of endless ropes to be described. Theseendless ropes are shown at 9 and run from the vertical sheaves 3 to thepulleys 5 on the horizontal shaft and then around the idlerpulleys S andback to the sheaves on the vertical shaft. It is to be understood thatone idler 8 is provided for each rope or flexible element 9. g Thehorizontal shaft 4 is suitably actuated and the individual endless ropes9 run from a vertical plane upward and outward to the pulleys located onthe horizontal shaft, the longest rope being the farthest out from thecleaning machine. The diameters of these pulleys 5 are varied so thatthe ropes have substantially the same rate of travel, said pulleys 5 allbeing on the horizontal shaft l, which may be actuated by a sprocket 10.

The fiber, hanging vertically and carried alongside the chain 11 of thecleaning ma chine which appears diagrammatically at 15, is carriedaround and over the vertical idler pulleys by a shield 12 and is thencaught by the several ropes 9 and lifted from the vertical plane tothehorizontal plane, and simultaneously the ends are being carriedoutwardly from the cleaning machine chain and, when finally released bythe cleaning machine chain about midway or beyond of the separatingdevice, the fiber is laid evenly and horizontally on the ropes and isthen delivered onto an apron 13 on which it slides down and is laid on aconveyer apron 14, which may lead, for example, to a squeezer.

In this way, the fiber is raised from a ver-.-

tical position and spread outwardly and deliveredj in the desiredcondition for subsequent operation.

Figure 3 is a detail view of one of the pulleys 5 on the horizontalshaft and is given a peculiar shape to receive the ropes at the ratherobtuse angle at which it contacts with the drive pulleys. Each of thesepulleys includes a flared part 5, a rope groove 5*,

and a relatively wide inclined skirt 5, a hub 5 with a set screw hole 5for receiving a screw to lock the pulleys to the shaft 4:; and, lastly,an opening 5 in the skirt, to give access to the set screw holedescribed.

Having now described our invention, what we claim as new is:

1. The combination with a device for mov ing vertically suspended fibersalong a horizontal path to a point of discharge, of a conveyer forreceiving said fibers, said conveyer comprising a vertical idler shaftat one end of the conveyer carrying a series of spaced idler pulleys, ahorizontal driven shaft at the other end of the conveyer carrying aseries of spaced driven pulleys, means for driving the latter shaft andpulleys, and a series of endless spaced rope conveyer elements trainedaround the pulleys, the pulleys on the driven shaft increasing in sizefrom one end of the shaft to the other whereby the fibers are moved fromtheir initial vertical position and gradually turned to horizontalposition to cause the fibers to move in parallel transverse lines to apoint of discharge.

2. The combination with a device for moving vertically suspended fibersalong a horizontal path to a point of discharge, of a conveyer forreceiving said fibers, said conveyer comprising a vertical idler shaftat one end of the conveyer carrying a. series of spaced idler pulleys, ahorizontal driven shaft at the other end of the conveyer carrying aseries of spaced driven pulleys, means for driving the latter shaft andpulleys, a series of endless spaced rope conveyer elements trainedaround the pulleys, the pulleys on the driven shaft increasing in sizefrom one end of the shaft to the other whereby the fibers are moved fromtheir initial vertical positions and gradually turned to horizontalpositions to cause the fibers to move in parallel transverse lines to apoint of discharge,

a support adjacent the driven shaft and pulleys, and swiveling idlers onsaid support for guiding the rope conveyer elements.

In testimony whereof we affiX our signatures.

BERTRAND S. SUMMERS. HERBERT T. HEATH.

